HS BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Rivers has new MHS coach excited about season

By Will Korn | wkorn@mrt.com

Published 3:33 pm, Monday, November 16, 2015

Photo: James Durbin

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Midland High's Shawn Rivers (1) takes the ball down the court against San Angelo Central on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 at Chaparral Center. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Midland High's Shawn Rivers (1) takes the ball down the court against San Angelo Central on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 at Chaparral Center. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Photo: James Durbin

HS BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Rivers has new MHS coach excited about season

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Midland High head coach Shannon Hooker said he saw something special when he watched Bulldogs’ senior point guard Shawn Rivers play basketball for the first time this fall.

Entering his first year with the MHS program, Hooker knew he had a skilled point guard on his hands.

“First off, his basketball IQ is high,” Hooker said. “I picked that up immediately. The first time I saw him play basketball out here in our athletic period, I saw his ball handling skills and the way he was setting people up and the way he was directing traffic with his teammates.

“He is like a coach on the floor. I don’t care how tall or big your team is, if you don’t have a point guard running the show, then it’s useless to have all that size.”

Rivers, who is beginning his fourth varsity season, has always had plenty of talent. But now, with a younger Bulldog supporting cast around him, Hooker has tasked Rivers with taking on a leadership role in his senior season.

“For Shawn, I’ve already visited with him, being a senior and going on (into) his fourth year on the varsity, I’ve spoken to him about leadership,” Hooker said. “Taking that role on and being the person who can be an extension of the coaching staff out on the floor. He’s taken that role very well so far, and we’re expecting him to maintain that role and help lead this team to where we want to get.”

Although the Bulldogs graduated several key contributors from last year’s team — players like Gary Ringo, A.D. Johnson and Nate Rogers — part of Rivers’ duty as a leader is to trust in whoever his teammates are, whether they are saddled with varsity experienced or not.

“I have confidence in all of my teammates,” Rivers said. “No matter who I pass it to, they can score, they can look for people and create plays. It really doesn’t matter who I pass it to. At the end, it’ll be the same.”

Rivers said that more than anything else, he spent time this summer working on his ability to create an easy scoring opportunity for a teammate. Being unselfish and being constantly aware of surroundings are valuable traits shared by many quality point guards.

Rivers said he believes he’s made progress in this area from past seasons.

“(I’ve been working on) setting somebody up to get a bucket,” Rivers said. “Rather than me getting a bucket, I’d rather set someone else up to get a bucket before I look to score first.”

Considering Hooker’s coaching philosophy as well as the personnel on the Bulldogs’ roster, that type of team-first approach figures to have a particularly positive effect on MHS.

The Bulldogs will have athletes galore in players such as junior Courtney McMaryion, senior Jumel Jones and junior Ty Kendrick — all of whom were standouts on the MHS track and field teams during the spring.

Rivers said that having that type of personnel available to him should make playmaking even easier for him on the court. He also believes that his teammates are as determined to be successful this season as he is.

“We’ve got a lot of depth on our team on the bench,” Rivers said. “So if one of our starters gets tired, we know we have someone to back us up — someone who isn’t just going to go out and play for the fun of it. They’re going to go out there and play to win.”

After falling to a powerful Amarillo High squad in the area round of last year’s Class 6A playoffs, Rivers said he and his teammates are ready to get back into action. Getting back into the playoffs — where anything can happen — in a competitive district is the goal.

Rivers said he knows exactly how to help get his team there.

“(We need to) hustle, maintain composure and just work hard and we can get the job done,” he said. “I think we can do big things with the team we’ve got now.”

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MIDLAND HIGH BULLDOGS

Head Coach: Shannon Hooker, first season at MHS

2014-15 record: 18-11, 8-2 in District 3-6A

2014-15 postseason: Lost, 75-60 to Amarillo High in area round of Class 6A playoffs

Coach’s quote: “My goals are to come in here and get this program, this team to think defense first and to think team-oriented basketball first. We want to build upon the tradition of Midland High School basketball over the years and I think we’ve got a good mixture of players here right now that’s going to help us get to where we want to be.”

Notes: Hooker joins the MHS program as head coach after compiling nearly 30 years of coaching experience at programs of various classifications around Texas. Most recently, Hooker was the head boys basketball coach at Corpus Christi Carroll, a position he held since 2010. ... Hooker carries a career coaching record of 397-146, as well as career district record of 120-39. ... Hooker said he wants to implement an up-tempo offensive system that is predicated on aggressive defense. ... Between 6-foot-3 Gary Ringo, 6-4 Trevor Abney and 6-10 Nate Rogers, the Bulldogs lost quite a bit of size from last year’s team. But with the sheer number of speedy athletes on the Bulldogs’ roster, MHS expects to be able to fit Hooker’s fast-paced style of play very well this season. ... Junior forward Courtney McMaryion is one of the district’s most athletic players and is also a long and high jump star for the MHS track and field team. Junior guard Ty Kendrick ran one of the legs on the Bulldogs’ relay teams during track season. ... Hooker said that he feels his team’s defensive ability has showed early and is slightly ahead of the Bulldogs’ offensive capabilities. But likes the potential his group has to score this year with baskets in transition and the presence of several playmakers.